Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses Could Be Bioweapons

Hemorrhagic fever viruses such as Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa could be used as biologic weapons, according to a report from a panel of experts convened by the Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore, MD, USA). The panel's consensus statement was published in the May 8, 2002, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Hemorrhagic fever viruses are considered "Category A” biologic weapons agents by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) because they have the potential to cause widespread illness and death. The panel's report focused on eight viruses: Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, New World Arenavirus, Rift Valley fever, yellow fever, Ornsk hemorrhagic fever, and Kyasanur Forest disease. Ebola and Marburg are among the most deadly of these. Ebola kills 50-90% of those infected, and Marburg is fatal in 23-70% of cases.

There are no widely available diagnostic tests for these viruses, and few effective therapies or vaccines are available to treat them. The panel says strict infection controls need to be used during an outbreak, since many of the viruses can be spread by person-to-person contact. Patients should be isolated, and clinicians should wear protective gear.

"The Working Group's consensus recommends improvement to our diagnostic capacity and the development of a rapid test for diagnosing hemorrhagic fever viruses,” said Luciana Borio, M.D., lead author and a fellow at the Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies. "Research efforts should also focus on new antiviral medications, vaccines, and a more fundamental scientific study of the viruses that cause hemorrhagic illness.”




Related Links:
Center for Civilian Biodefense
JAMA